1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication apparatus that enables a conversation with an arbitrary person via a transmitter-receiver or handset at any moment. The invention relates also to a memory medium storing a program for operating the communication apparatus. Additionally, the invention relates to a type of telephone apparatus incorporating a display panel together with a speaker and a microphone, capable of displaying the telephone number of a second external apparatus on the display panel if a call arrives from the second external apparatus during a telephone communication with a first external apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A representative apparatus of known communication apparatuses may be a cordless telephone, which can be used remote from a base or a main telephone. A cordless telephone has a shape similar to that of an ordinary handset and exchanges aural signals, that are transmitted to and received from a communication partner via a communication line, with the base or the main telephone via predetermined-frequency of electromagnetic waves. Cordless telephones are provided as a child telephone, such as a wireless receiver or handset attached to a charging device, a cordless handset placed at a normal handset position on a base apparatus, and the like.
For a telephone conversation using such a cordless telephone, a user holds the cordless telephone near or on an ear so that voices are outputted and inputted via a speaker and microphone. Development of the communication technology has provided a generally-termed call-waiting service where if there is a call to a subscriber apparatus from a third apparatus during a telephone conversation via the subscriber apparatus, ringing sounds are produced in the subscriber apparatus, superimposed on the voices of the present communication partner. A cordless telephone adapted to the call-waiting service is capable of, if receiving a ringing signal from a second external apparatus during a telephone conversation with a first external apparatus, switching from the first external apparatus to the second external apparatus upon an instruction inputted by a user pressing a call-waiting button.
A caller identification service has started wherein the telephone number of a caller apparatus notified on a receiver side by adding the caller number to a ringing signal from the caller apparatus. Upon receiving the ringing signal, an apparatus adapted to the caller identification service displays the caller telephone number on a display panel provided in a cordless telephone or a base. Therefore, when such a telephone apparatus receives a call, a user of the apparatus can choose whether to answer the call on the basis of the caller telephone number displayed on the display panel.
However, conventional cordless telephones have drawbacks related to the call-waiting service and the caller identification service as described below.
If a conventional cordless telephone receives a ringing signal from a third apparatus while a user is having a conversation via the cordless telephone, the user needs to hold the cordless telephone at a position and in a posture such that the user can see the display panel provided in the cordless telephone to check the caller telephone number. That is, the user must move the cordless telephone away from the ear to look at the display while maintaining the connection status with the present communication partner. Therefore, to look at the display panel and see the caller telephone apparatus, the user must stop the conversation with the present partner, thereby causing an undesirable or awkward situation.
The present invention provides a communication apparatus that enables the user to check information regarding a caller while continuing to talk to a present communication partner, without requiring the user to perform any switching operation or the like. The invention also provides a memory medium for storing a program for operating the communication apparatus.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a communication apparatus capable of switching from a telephone communication with a first external apparatus to a telephone communication with a second external apparatus when receiving a ringing signal from the second external apparatus during a telephone communication with the first external apparatus. The communication apparatus includes a transmitter-receiver that is normally held to a user""s ear for a telephone communication via a communication line. The transmitter-receiver outputs and inputs voices. A display panel is provided at a predetermined location in the transmitter-receiver and is capable of displaying caller information added to a ringing signal from an external apparatus.
The communication apparatus further includes a caller information display control device that displays the caller information regarding the second external apparatus on the display panel if the ringing signal from the second external apparatus is received during a telephone communication with the first external apparatus. The display may be turned on by providing power to the display when the ringing signal from the second external apparatus is received during a communication with the first external apparatus. Alternatively, if an LCD, for example, is used as the display, the LCD may already have power applied but the display may be dark. Thus, turning on of the LCD display may include causing the background to illuminate so that the display is perceivable by a user. The display may likewise, be turned off after a predetermined time has elapsed from the display being turned on or after receiving a cancel command via the keypad.
An input/output level control device is also provided which changes an input level of the transmitter-receiver and an output level of the transmitter-receiver if the caller information regarding the second external apparatus is displayed on the display panel by the caller information display control device during the telephone communication with the first external apparatus.
Therefore, if the telephone apparatus receives a ringing signal from a second external apparatus during a telephone communication with a first external apparatus using the transmitter-receiver, the caller information regarding the second external apparatus is displayed on the display panel provided in the transmitter-receiver and the input/output levels of the transmitter-receiver are changed. In order to see the caller information, a user needs to put the transmitter-receiver in such a position that the user can look at the display panel. In this apparatus, since a generally-termed hands-free talk function is engaged by changing the input/output levels of the transmitter-receiver, the user can temporarily move the transmitter-receiver away from a user""s ear to look at the display panel while maintaining a state where the telephone communication with the first external apparatus is possible. Thus, the telephone apparatus allows the user to check the caller information by looking at the display panel while continuing to talk to the present communication partner, without requiring the user to perform any switching operation or the like.
In this invention, the communication line may be a public telephone line, or a dedicated line, in the form of an actual cable or a wireless channel or the like.
The transmitter-receiver may suitably be a cordless telephone, or may also be a different type device that is normally held by a hand for communication with other devices.
The display panel may suitably be a display capable of displaying characters and the like. For example, the display panel may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a segment display panel employing light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or the like, as long as the display panel is capable of displaying caller information.
The caller information may suitably be a caller telephone number notified by a service provided via a telephone line, a message expressed by characters, or the like.
The above-described communication apparatus may be capable of switching from a telephone communication with a first external apparatus to a telephone communication with a second external apparatus on the basis of a predetermined switching operation signal, after the input level and the output level of the transmitter-receiver are changed by the input/output level control device. Since the communication apparatus is capable of switching from the telephone communication with the first external apparatus to the telephone communication with the second external apparatus it is possible for a user to select whether to continue the telephone communication with the first external apparatus or switch to the telephone communication with the second external apparatus, through a predetermined switching operation, after checking the caller information by looking at the display panel during a generally-termed hands-free talk.
Furthermore, in the communication apparatus of the invention, after the input level and the output level of the transmitter-receiver are changed by the input/output level control device, the input level and the output level may be changed back to a previous input level and a previous output level, respectively, on the basis of a predetermined changing operation signal. Since after the input level and the output level of the transmitter-receiver may be changed by the input/output level control device, the input level and the output level are changed back to a previous input level and a previous output level, respectively, it is possible for a user to resume the previous manner of using the transmitter-receiver. In other works, the use may resume holding the transmitter-receiver to a user""s ear, so as to facilitate the hearing of a communication partner""s voice through a predetermined changing operation after checking the caller information by looking at the display panel during a generally-termed hands-free talk.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a memory medium storing a program for controlling a communication apparatus as described above. The program may include programs for performing operations corresponding to the operations performed by the caller information display control device and the input/output level control device described above. That is, the operations performed by the above-described communication apparatus of the invention can be realized by a CPU operating on the basis of the programs stored in the memory medium.
According to still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a telephone apparatus including a case containing a microphone for inputting a voice of a user, a speaker for outputting a voice of a communication partner, and a display panel capable of displaying at least characters and symbols. The telephone apparatus further includes a reception device capable of receiving a telephone number of a second external apparatus from an exchange if a call arrives from a second external apparatus when the telephone apparatus is connected to a first external apparatus via a telephone line. A display device is provides that displays the telephone number of the second external apparatus received by the reception device on the display panel. A microphone sensitivity increasing device is also provided that increases an input sensitivity of the microphone after the reception device receives the telephone number of the second external apparatus.
In this telephone apparatus, if a call arrives from a second external apparatus when the telephone apparatus is communicating with a first external apparatus via a telephone line, the reception device receives the telephone number of the second external apparatus from an exchange. The received telephone number is displayed on the display panel by the display device.
The display may be turned on by providing power to the display when a ringing signal from a second external apparatus is received during a communication with a first external apparatus. Alternatively, if an LCD, for example, is used as the display, the LCD may already have power applied but the display may be dark. Thus, turning on of the LCD display may include causing the background to illuminate so that the display is perceivable by a user. The display may likewise, be turned off after a predetermined time has elapsed from the display being turned on or after receiving a cancel command via the keypad.
The display panel is contained together with the speaker and the microphone in the case. In this situation, therefore, a user needs to put the telephone apparatus apart from the user""s face in order to look at the display panel to check the telephone number of the second external apparatus, i.e., the caller apparatus. At this moment, the microphone input sensitivity has been increased by the microphone sensitivity increasing device in the invention. Therefore, even though the user moves the telephone apparatus apart from the user""s face, i.e., the microphone becomes distantly located from the user""s mouth, the apparatus does not cause a problem of excessively low voices transmitted to the partner.
Thus, if a call arrives from an external apparatus during a telephone conversation, the telephone number of the external apparatus is displayed on the display panel. Since the display panel is contained together with the speaker and the microphone in the case, a user needs to move the telephone apparatus apart from the user""s face in order to look at the display panel to check the telephone number of the caller apparatus. In the invention, however, the microphone input sensitivity is increased at that moment. Therefore, although the user moves the telephone apparatus apart from the user""s face, i.e., the microphone becomes distantly located from the user""s mouth, the telephone apparatus makes it possible for the user to continue the conversation with the present communication partner, without causing a problem of excessively low voices being transmitted to the partner.
The telephone apparatus may further include a microphone sensitivity returning device that returns the input sensitivity of the microphone to a normal input sensitivity at a predetermined timing after the input sensitivity of the microphone is increased by the microphone sensitivity increasing device. The predetermined timing at which the microphone input sensitivity is returned to the normal level by the microphone sensitivity returning device may be, for example, a timing when a predetermined length of time elapses, a timing when a predetermined key is pressed, and the like.
Since the increased microphone input sensitivity is returned to the normal input sensitivity at the predetermined timing by the microphone sensitivity returning device, the telephone apparatus avoids transmitting excessively high volume voices or sounds to the communication partner, and always maintains a good speech quality.
The telephone apparatus may further include a detection device that detects a level of a sound inputted to the microphone, and a speaker volume increasing device that increases a volume of the speaker if the detection device detects a decrease in the level of a sound inputted to the microphone while the input sensitivity of the microphone is increased by the microphone sensitivity increasing device. Therefore, if the level of a sound or voice inputted to the microphone decreases while the microphone input sensitivity is increased, the speaker volume is increased. That is, if the user talks to the telephone apparatus after putting it apart from the user""s face in order to look at the telephone number of the caller apparatus displayed on the display panel, the level of the voice inputted to the microphone naturally decreases. In response to such an input voice level decrease, the speaker volume increasing device increases the speaker volume. Therefore, the telephone apparatus advantageously allows the user to continue the conversation with the present communication partner in a good condition while holding the telephone apparatus apart from the user""s face. Since the speaker volume is increased by the speaker volume increasing device in response to a decrease in the level of a sound or voice inputted to the microphone, a normal speaker volume is maintained if the user continues the telephone conversation without moving the telephone apparatus apart from the user""s face. Therefore, the telephone apparatus avoids an undesired event that the speaker volume suddenly increases, and disturbs or upsets the user.
The telephone apparatus may further include a speaker volume returning device that returns the volume of the speaker to a previous volume at a predetermined timing after the volume of the speaker is increased by the speaker volume increasing device. The predetermined timing at which the speaker volume is returned to the previous level by the speaker volume returning device may be, for example, a timing when a predetermined length of time elapses, a timing when a predetermined key is pressed, or a timing described below, or the like. Since the increased speaker volume is returned to the previous volume at the predetermined timing by the speaker volume returning device, the telephone apparatus can maintain a good telephone conversation condition without upsetting the user by an excessively high speaker volume increase.
In the telephone apparatus, the speaker volume returning device may return the volume of the speaker to the previous volume if the detection device detects an increase in the level of a sound inputted to the microphone. If the user moves the telephone apparatus back to the previous position adjacent to the users face from a remote position, the level of a voice or sound inputted to the microphone increases. The input level increase is detected by the detection device so that the speaker volume returning device returns the speaker volume from the increased level to the previous level. That is, the increased speaker volume is returned to the previous level if the level of a voice or sound inputted to the microphone increases.
For example, if the user moves the telephone apparatus from a position apart from the user""s face back to the previous position adjacent to the user""s face, and then talks, the level of the voice inputted to the microphone increases. In response to such a voice input level increase, the speaker volume is returned from the increased level to the previous level. Since the telephone apparatus returns the speaker volume from the increased level to the previous level when the user puts the telephone apparatus back to the previous position adjacent to the user""s face, the telephone apparatus allows the user to continue the telephone conversation with a suitable speaker volume.